The Day Of The Daphne
by RussM
Summary: The gang go to Cornwall in England for a holiday where strange things start happening and, well, you all know the drill by now. Written with the assistance of AudreyMetalMouth.
1. Rewards

The old lighthouse was silhouetted by a flash of lightening; all around the remains of hurricane Spike began to batter the Cornish coast, the building's foot-thick granite walls and double glazing keeping its fury at bay. Inside Daphne was preparing the treat she had promised herself all day. She went around the bathroom setting and lighting candles in various places their soft buttery light to filling the room. She then ran the bath, pouring in various bath oils and scents as it filled. When all was done she turned off the main light, removed her robe and stepped into the bath. The water was about as hot as she could stand; Daphne slowly lowered herself into the bath accompanied by a chorus of aahs, oohs and ouchs. Finally, when all but her head was fully submerged; she sighed, rested back on her bath pillow and closed her eyes. _No more mysteries, never again, no more running, no more hills, I'll move to some place flat, have a lift installed in my house, I'll use a golf cart to get from room to room, I'll get a sensible job, one with lots of sitting down..._ Still there were a few compensations to the day, she reached over and put the floating tray in the bath, Daphne stared at the enormous cream tea in front of her and unconsciously licked her lips _now where to begin..._ The tray was piled high with scones, there was a whole jar of strawberry jam, two tubs of clotted cream, butter, a knife and a spoon. As she cut open one of the scones a series of muffled cries came through the wall from the bathroom next door; Velma was obviously doing the same thing as Daphne. A few seconds later there followed a satisfied sigh.

"Houston, the Dinkley has landed" whispered Daphne.

Daphne's attention returned to the food in front of her. The scones were similar to the biscuits back home but were made with butter, hence their flaky texture and contained currants. The strawberry jam had huge chunks of strawberry in it; the butter came from a local farm as did the clotted cream. She had been unsure if the clotted part was simply a reference of what it would do to her arteries but Shaggy had assured her that it was a kind of very thick cream. This was what they needed after today, comfort food, and comfort food in all its unhealthy glory. But then Daphne started thinking if this was true. Butter was basically milk, and her mother always told her ever since she was little that milk was good for her. The scones contained fruit as did the jam. Well if this didn't make this a health food then what did? But how to reconcile the clotted cream as that was over 50% fat? Daphne then recalled Velma telling her that fat was used for insulating nerves; even better, the cream was brain food. She was sure that Velma would agree with her line of reasoning. A worrying thought now formed in Daphne mind; she knew Velma had taken into her room the same size cream-tea as her and given the rigours of the day both trays would be empty quite soon. Who would get them out the bath when they were finished? More importantly, who would bring them more food? Those were concerns for later and she focused her attention back to the task in front of her. Daphne decided to take a scientific approach to the cream-tea, was it better to put the jam on the scone first then the cream or the other way round? Both approaches would need to be thoroughly investigated. As she set about preparing her first test she reflected on the day. Today had been one of the hardest days she had ever known both physically and emotionally. Normally mysteries tend to follow a familiar pattern, but once in a while things turn out different, and this mystery had been one of them. Daphne licked some jam off her fingers _this was meant to be a holiday, there shouldn't even have been a mystery..._ _yeah like this has never happened to us before_. Only Velma was supposed to have been working, she had been asked by a TV company to do some research on some local smuggling legends. A job like that was almost as good as a holiday for Velma. The rest of the gang had hitched a ride as 'consultants'. Daphne had planned to consult the surfing off the Cornish coast whilst Shaggy had declared himself some kind of culinary ambassador. Fred was simply looking forward to visiting someplace new and different, and trying his hand at driving a car with a manual gear-box, and roundabouts.

On reflection things had started to go downhill before they had even left Coolsville. _Poor Freddie_ she thought recalling the miserable flight over he'd had. A couple of days before they were due to go Fred had gone down with a sinus infection but after they had arrived in Bristol he seemed OK again. They caught a fast train down to Newquay then picked up the car the TV Company had hired for them. They enjoyed the journey through the Cornish countryside right up until the point Fred had crashed the vehicle near their hotel. Fortunately they had run into a hedge and there was no damage to the car or them. Daphne took over the driving and got them to the hotel. Fred could barely walk and could stand only when holding onto something so he was taken to the local hospital. He was checked out by one of the doctors, a Dr Jome, who diagnosed an inner-ear infection. Fred's sinus infection had moved to his ear and knocked out his sense of balance. He felt fine, but had no sense of balance whatsoever; he couldn't stand without help let alone drive. With some antibiotics he would be up and about in a week or so but for the moment he would be pretty much stuck in the hotel. Daphne took a scone, cut it lengthways, buttered it then deposited a spoon full of jam and another of cream on each of the open halves. She gave an appreciative 'mmmm' as she began to eat her way through her first half, making sure that sure that not a crumb fell into the bath.

Her ears pricked up when she heard Shaggy's voice through the wall. Well she wasn't too surprised, it sounded like he was checking if Velma was OK. The sound of a chair being moved made Daphne conclude that he was sitting in the bathroom. Velma wasn't in any moral danger, but her cream tea might be mortal danger. It sounded like Shaggy was borrowing the back scratcher Velma picked up a couple of days ago. She didn't envy Shaggy his leg must be really itchy under his plaster-cast. _I__'ll be glad when we get back home and start our regular cases again, I need a break_ she thought, still they sure had got their money's worth out of their travel insurance. And things had started out so well for them even with Freddie unable to stand-up by himself...

Their first full day in Cornwall was a 'do-nothing' day to get over jet-lag and the like. Everyone but Fred would be going to the beach so before they left they walked him into the lounge, Daphne on one side Shaggy on the other with Velma and Scooby going in front to get the room set-up. They moved a chair in front of the TV and Fred was gently lowered in.

"Thanks guys. I didn't want to be stuck in the room all day" said Fred as Daphne and Shaggy eased him into a sofa in front of the TV. Velma handed him the remote control and a TV guide then pushed a footstool in front of him to rest his feet on.

"Yes! Loads of sports channels" said Fred as he scanned the guide

Velma looked over the listings guide at him "I've marked all the educational channels for you."

"Thanks Vel, now I know what ones to avoid" he smiled.

"That's not quite what I meant Freddie" said Velma sternly.

"Yes Mother" whispered Fred; he looked at Daphne as she hid her mouth behind her hand to stifle a chuckle.

"Now Freddie you know Velma is only trying to help. Right let's check your temperature."

"But Daph, you just did that before we came down" complained Fred.

"Now, now Freddie" said Daphne putting her hands on her hips.

"Come on Velma, let's get out of here before she takes our temperature" whispered Shaggy, his hand smoothing her behind as he guided her out of the room. She slowed and he gave her a backside a gentle squeeze.

"Later Fred and Daph might see. Let's go get ready; I've got a surprise for you at the beach."

"Might see what?" said Fred.

"Nothing" they said and hurried out the door.

They were just about to set off for the beach so while Shaggy and Scooby got their stuff together the girls went in to the lounge to check on Fred one last time, he was reading from a book whilst waiting for a game to start. Daphne sat next to Fred and quietly fussed over him, checking his temperature for what seemed like the hundredth time already that day.

"What's the book you're reading Freddie?" asked Velma

"It's an English phrase book" he replied "You know I always try to learn some of the local language of the places we visit."

Velma just stared at him; Daphne held her head in her hands and gave a little groan.

"Fred, you can already speak English" said a long-suffering Daphne

"Yeah, but not _British_ English, I thought it would give a bit more colour to our time here" he replied. Fred waited expectantly to see if the girls had noticed that he had said colour rather than color, they hadn't, _peasants_ he thought and sulked for a few seconds till Daphne plunged the thermometer in his mouth again.

"Come-on Daph, surfs up!" said Velma as she pulled Daphne towards the door much to the relief of Fred.


	2. Play Time

On the way to the beach Daphne took Velma into a dive shop so they could hire some wet-suits. Daphne got a black/purple one to wear while surfing and Velma got an orange one to wear as she would be in and out of the water doing her research. Somehow Daphne persuaded Velma to have a couple of surfing lessons which didn't go as badly as any of them had feared. Shaggy declined the offer of a lesson and stayed on the beach to look after their spot and take some photos of Velma surfing, documentary evidence of such a rare event was important otherwise no-one would believe them when they got back home. When the lessons were over Daphne got stuck into some serious surfing while Velma sauntered back to where Shaggy and Scooby where. Shaggy's brain fused as Velma took off her wet-suit to reveal a hot-pink bikini. _So this was the surprise she'd hinted at_. Velma lay down on a towel and fished out some local guide books to start her work. Shaggy sat nearby and wrote a postcard to his sister.

_Having a groovy time in and around the beach. Daph and Vel hired some wet-suits and surf boards, Daph gave Vel her first surfing lessons. Vel looks really great in her new bikini. Daph now surfing, Vel reading and Scoob and me are like making sand sculptures. We've all had ice-cream._

_Love Shag_

Shaggy chewed the end of his pen and pondered the obligatory p.s. His eyes automatically fixated on Velma. The sight of her lying face-down, reading a book, occasionally raising one of her legs filled his mind. He found himself studying the curves of her body like a student cramming for their finals.

"Shaggy, are you staring at me?" said Velma, her tone was teasing and there was a smile on her face.

"Huh, was I, I mean"

"Honestly I don't mind Shag, so long as I can stare at you" Velma turned her head and lifted her eyes to meet his gaze and smiled at him "Who are you writing to?" She rolled onto her side to face him, propping her head up on her hand.

"My Sis" _Velma's doing this all for me,_ he thought, the realisation made him feel, well if he was to be honest, manly and powerful. He repressed the urge to do something either 'manly' or 'powerful' knowing it would only end in disaster.

"Do, do you want me to put some sun cream on you Shag?" said Velma.

Velma's touch was tentative at first, rapidly becoming more firm and assured as she went on. Normally this level of physical intimacy would be behind closed doors, but there was nothing untoward about the pair putting sun-cream on each other. Still they kept an eye on what Daphne was going lest their cover be blown. All too soon Velma had finished and Shaggy did the same to her. Shaggy's touch brought her out in goose-bumps and her toes curled in pleasure as he worked the cream into her skin.

Shaggy lay down next to her; she wriggled right up to him. He rested his head on his arm and faced her, he could see it was a history of the area.

"Did you know that there is evidence of humans living here nearly 3500 years ago?"

"About the same time as those sandwiches we had on the plane were made" he joked.

"They weren't that bad Shag, it's just that the air in the place is so dry."

"So like, what's the legend you're looking into?" said Shaggy.

"The Legend of the Grockle. Grockle was the name of a ship used by a smuggling gang run by one Master Ives who used to ply these waters around the time of the Spanish Armada. They used to smuggle anything, tin, gold, rum, even people. They were a nuisance but the authorities didn't pay much attention until they smuggled some Spanish agents into England, and helped some Jesuit priests escape."

"Like they got on wrong side of the law then?"

"Very much so, they also stole some of the Royal Navy payroll. Then they made a fatal mistake."

"Like _more_ fatal than the others?" Velma nodded as he spoke

"They got on the wrong side of Sir Francis Walsingham, Elizabeth's most feared and ruthless spymaster."

"And."

"They were mercilessly hunted down. Before they were caught the gang were rumoured to have hid the payroll and other treasures in some of the caves along the coast here and they haven't been found to this day. Legend has it that one of the caves will take you back in time to the time of the Grockle and the Ives' gang itself or to where their ghosts are still protecting the treasure to this day."

"So what happened to them?"

"They were all publicly executed in various horrible ways. Ives himself was executed in a gibbet."

"A what?"

"A metal cage in the shape of a human body. He was chained into one of them and lowered down till his feet touched the water."

"Doesn't sound like, that deadly."

"At low tide no but six hours later at high tide the water would cover his head and he would drown. Just to be sure he was left like that for two further high tides."

"Oh."

"It says that just before he was put in the cage he cursed anyone who found his treasure to the same fate."

"Like, bad man."

"They were quite violent times Shag, interesting, but violent."

"Raphne ron rig rave!" said Scooby, Shaggy and Velma sat up to see Daphne riding in a a big wave.

"Go Daph go!" shouted Shaggy.

A while later Daphne walked up the beach carrying her surfboard. As she approached Velma quickly looked through a small book. "That was… rad, a totally ganrley, and errr tubular ride, emmm to the max! Daph" then looked up with an uncertain smile; Daphne gave her one of her what-on-earth-are-you-on-about looks she usually reserved for Fred.

"Velma, what are reading from?" Daphne snatched the book before Velma could respond "An 'English/Surfer-Dude, Surfer-Dude/English' phrase book?"

"If Fred can learn a foreign language, then so can I" Velma replied folding her arms and sticking her chin out in defiance.

As the surf had died down Daphne decided to do a little sunbathing so removed her wetsuit and joined the rest of the gang. Velma and Daphne watched on while Shaggy and Scooby made sand sculptures of them and the Mystery Machine.

A while later Daphne felt the wind pickup; she looked out to see and sure enough the surf beginning to build up again.

"Surfs up! I'm off for another ride" said Daphne not bothering to put her wet-suit on this time.

Scooby turned over and went for another session of competitive lying down.

Shaggy had an idea and guided Velma down to rest her head in the crook of his arm. She briefly flushed scarlet but made no attempt to move. Shaggy found himself gently stroking her waist and hip, both found it very relaxing. Velma rolled onto her side so she could and put her arm round his waist, her thumb stroked his side as they pressed themselves into each other, this 'not dating' was a brilliant idea of theirs. They could get on with being together without attracting any suspicion that anything was afoot. Shaggy and been 'not dating' for almost a year and seriously 'not dating' for the last five months. They had dated before but had always ended up splitting up. It finally dawned on then that it was because they had let other people direct the course of their relationship. By officially not having one they could deflect interest and interference.

Daphne saw what was going on and decided to stay out for a bit longer "not dating my foot" she said to herself. Distracted by the scene on the beach she didn't see the shape move under her. She sat down on her board and got ready to paddle out to catch another wave. Shaggy, Scooby and Velma's ears pricked up at the sound of a scream.

"Raphne?"

"Daphne" said Shaggy and Velma simultaneously.

"Probably got some seaweed in her hair or something" said Velma, just then a lifeguard grabbed a rescue board and ran for the water. Reluctantly they sat up and looked out to sea where a familiar looking surfer was in severe difficulty.

"Oh jinkies she's in real trouble."

"What's wrong Daph?" said Velma as Daphne was laid down on a recovery table in the lifeguard station.  
>"Stung, I was stung by a jellyfish" said Daphne griping the sides of the table in pain.<p>

"A Lion's Mane jellyfish to be precise" said the lifeguard; Shaggy saw Velma's face tighten with worry.

Red welts covered Daphne's right leg, it looked like her leg had been whipped. From the look on Daphne's face Shaggy guessed that a whipping would have been preferable.

"Now Daphne, how bad is the pain on a scale of 1 to 10 where 10 is the worst pain you have experienced?"

"Eight, no nine, nine, no seventy thousand!"

"She doesn't do stings very well" said Velma to the lifeguard.

"This might help" the lifeguard wheeled a blue and white cylinder next to the recovery table and passed Daphne a mouthpiece "Take some deep breaths" he said turning the flow of gas on then passed some ice-packs to Shaggy and Velma.

"What's that?" asked Shaggy.

"Gas and air, happy gas, entonox. It's the stuff they use during labour" said the lifeguard.

Shaggy and Velma held the ice-packs against Daphne's leg while she sucked in the gas.

"How's the pain now on a scale of 1 to 10?" said the lifeguard a couple of minutes later.

"Oh close to a 3 now, it feels much better" Daphne giggled.

"We recommend you go to hospital just in case you have an allergic reaction to the stings" said the attending lifeguard.

"OK, if you insist Darren" said Daphne fluttering her eyebrows.

"Do we need an ambo here?" said one lifeguard to another.

"That's Nial, he's just arrived from Bondi in Australia, that's why he's so tanned, he's talking to James; don't you think that James' beard makes him look just so sensitive and caring?" Daphne whispered to Velma.

"Oh brother" muttered Velma.

They decided to take a taxi to the hospital as it didn't appear urgent. Daphne's leg was treated with some anti-sting medication and she was kept under observation for a couple of hours and was finally discharged after a lecture about what to look out for from the same doctor that had treated Fred. As they arrived back at the hotel Velma decided to get one thing straight with Daphne.

"If you don't tell Fred about the phrase-book then I won't tell him about you checking out the lifeguards" smiled Velma sweetly.

"Deal" said Daphne.

"Daphne are you OK?" Fred held out his arms as soon as she came into view. Daphne didn't need to be asked twice and scooted over and sat on his lap. She relaxed into his embrace, now everything was right in the world.

"So Freddie what did you watch aside from sports?" asked Velma.

"Well there was one about some underwater explorers who had a submarine which looked a bit like an octopus."

"Really? I must catch that when it's on again" said Velma getting excited.

"Then there was one about a kingdom with elves and fairies then another from Africa were animals told tales of how they became how they were."

"Ahhh mythology and legends" Velma nodded approvingly.

"Another about a pair of Alpacas who were hired out to do odd jobs."

"Huh?"

"One about a group of mice who played Reggae music and fought crime."

"What!"

"The best was where a baby sheep went to school with an owl, a dog, a hedgehog..."

Velma furiously flicked through the programme guide "Freddie! You've been watching a children's channel."

"I wondered why it was so much fun" he said. Fred decided to stop there as he could almost see the steam coming from Velma's ears.

"Stop teasing her Fred" said Daphne hiding her laughter in his shoulder.

"Did you watch the cartoon about a group of school kids and their dog who went around solving crimes?" said Velma.

"Nope, just sounded like such a lame idea" said Fred.

"So true" said Daphne as the other nodded in agreement.

"Humph, well I have a meeting with the producer just before dinner, let's watch some TV together while we wait, but this time _I_ get to choose the programme" said Velma.

After a brief scan through the TV guide Velma selected the programme they were going to watch, a documentary about an expedition to a jungle. Fred and Velma watched the preceding news program while Shaggy and Daphne had a brief hot-chocolate drinking contest. When the show came on they settled down to watch the program, thirty minutes in Shaggy and Daphne were coming under pressure.

"Jeepers when _is_ the ad break coming up, I'm desperate" muttered Daphne crossing her legs.

"Like me too" said Shaggy.

"Do you want to tell them?" said Velma to Fred.

"Well gang, you see the channel we're watching doesn't have any ad breaks" said Fred.

"What?" said Shaggy and Daphne.

"Nope, not one and" said Velma, she then checked her watch "you only have another thirty minutes to go" Just then the picture cut to a waterfall. Fred, Scooby and Velma laughed themselves silly at the sight of Shaggy and Daphne wedged in the doorway, both trying to be the first to the bathroom.

"Ahh Freddie this has to be one of the best holidays we've had so far, despite you flaky balance."

"Yeah, it was kind of fun to just do nothing for a change."

"Yep, here's to a peaceful holiday" said Velma as she settled down in the sofa and savouring Shaggy's remaining warmth.

(A/N [1] Velma wore a pink bikini in the TSDS episode The Creepy Case of Old Iron Face. [2] From Wikipedia: Sir Francis Walsingham (c. 1532 – 6 April 1590) was Principal Secretary to Elizabeth I of England from 1573 until 1590, and is popularly remembered as her "spymaster". Walsingham is frequently cited as one of the earliest practitioners of modern intelligence methods both for espionage and for domestic security.)


	3. Lost in Translation

(A/N for those interested the children's shows Fred was watching in the previous chapter were Octonauts, Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom, Tinga-Tinga Tales, Nuzzle and Scratch, Rastamouse and Timmy Time.)

Velma and the produced drank coffee while they went over maps of the area, planning where they would go for the next few days. In addition he provided Velma with copies of the various documents she had requested from the local archives.

"Right Velma we should have copies of the documents from the National Maritime Museum here in a day or so."

"Thanks Clive, I think we're all set for tomorrow."

"Grand, well it's an early start due to the tides. There's a boat to take you to some of the caves like you asked Velma and we've got a camera and waterproof housing for you and suitable lights for you to use to take photos below water" said Clive.

"Great" said Velma "I've been looking forward to this."

"Grand, well I'll see you bright and early tomorrow then" said Clive; he waved as he walked out of the door. He popped his head round the door "Oh and as it's an early start Velma I'll come round tomorrow and knock you up. Cheers" and with that he was off.

Velma sprayed her drink over Scooby, Shaggy fell out of his chair and Daphne looked ready to faint. Velma was going red in the face choking and spluttering "Wha... wha... whatdidhesayhe'ddotome?" she wheezed. Shaggy was patting Velma on the back with one hand and trying to fan a swaying Daphne with the other. Scooby was on his feet standing between Velma and the door with his teeth bared.

"He... he... he..." muttered Daphne trying to stay upright.

The shock was broken by the sound of Fred's uncontrollable laughter.

"You... should... see... your... faces" laughed Fred "That was _priceless_"

At that a pale-looking Velma buried herself in Shaggy's chest and he wrapped his arms around her "It's not funny Fred" she shouted back on the verge of tears "Just, just get the police and we're leaving for the airport now."

"It's nothing to get worried about Velms, you have nothing to worry about" said Fred trying to calm Velma down.

"Freddie!" exclaimed Daphne "He said he would come round and get Velma preg..."

"All he meant was that he would come round and knock on Velma's door to make sure she was awake in time to get the boat" Fred finally explained.

"He, he did?" said Velma quietly, finally beginning to calm down "But I thought it meant..."

"Not here" he said wiping the tears from his eyes "It's all in my English phrase book. The phrase dates back to a time when a company would hire someone to go round and knock on people's doors to get them up for work."

Velma suddenly stood up "Shaggy, take me to the hotel bar and buy me a drink."

"OK Vel, if you say so but you don't usually drink."

"After _that_ I'll make an exception" she said then quickly added "Plus some food."

"Now you're talking!" replied Shaggy "Hey you just talked me in to buying you dinner."

"You are _such_ a gentleman" she smiled taking hold of his arm, while the rest of the gang tried unsuccessfully to muffle their laughter.

"I'll come with you to get something for me and Fred" said Daphne "back in a little while Freddie" giving him a gentle kiss.

Daphne caught up with Velma and Shaggy "You know Fred may be onto something with these phrase books" said Daphne.

"Don't tell him that or we'll never hear the end of it" said Velma.

Velma picked what she wanted from the list of food on the menu board. Shaggy looked at that then picked up the bigger menu on the counter of the bar. While Shaggy looked through the menu Velma looked at back at the list of drinks available. One in particular caught her eye.

"Hey cider, remember that hot cider you made last Christmas Shag?"

"Sure do Velms that was some of the best I've made. Not that I got much of a taste as you drank it all" he replied proudly.

"They do something like it here. I'll get some to have with our meal" wile Shaggy ordered the food Velma went to the barkeeper and ordered some of the cider.

"Would you like a bottle of a pitcher?" asked the barkeeper

"A pitcher" replied Velma, her thoughts filled with the memory of last Christmas's drink

"Are you sure?" replied the barkeeper.

"Yes, the description sounded so nice" replied Velma.

They sat down at a table and soon a pitcher and a pair of glasses were brought over to them. Shaggy poured Velma a glass for her to try. For some reason the cider was chilled and had a more crisp flavour, but she felt a warm glow inside a few seconds after she had drunk some, it was also very refreshing. _Well this wasn't what I was expecting _she thought, _but when in Rome..._ and she filled her glass again.

Two huge plates were brought to the table and a third one on the floor for Scooby,

Shaggy and Scooby stared at each other as a stomach-growl echoed around the room. They looked at Velma who then blushed.

Daphne sat in the TV lounge so she could eat with Fred but from time-to-time she would pop over to see how the rest of the gang were getting on.

"So how are they happy couple?" said Fred upon Daphne's return.

"Well if they insist of saying they're not dating after what I've just seen then I'll scream. Holding hands over the table, feeding each other, playing footsie with each other, you name it Fred."

"Perhaps being away from home will move them along. Say did you bring a menu, I'm feeling thirsty."

"Here you go. They serve a chilled version of the hot cider Shaggy makes, Velma is really enjoying it. They've already had one pitcher and now on their second."

"Well she's getting more adventurous with her eating habits ever since she's been 'not dating' Shaggy" said Fred with Daphne joining in at the end "Much more of this 'not dating' and I'll start on my best man speech."

"You should have seen them on the beach wrapped up in each other. Like I said she's all over him at the moment, I'll have to bring a crow-bar next time I go round, just in case…"

"Hmmm, what did you say Velma was drinking?" asked Fred as he looked in his phrase book then the menu, Daphne looked at him; there was an unexpected edge in his voice.

"Cider, you know Velma likes cider, especially the cider Shaggy cooks-up during the winter."

"_Hot_ cider Daph, Velma loves hot cider. The cider they serve here is our hard cider. What exactly did she order?" Daphne pointed to the menu "that's nearly as strong as wine."

"I'd better let them know" Daphne knew Velma, being relatively small, would soon be feeling the effects.

Shaggy was impressed, Velma had eaten everything and had second helpings of dessert. Added to that she was really being affectionate and he was really enjoying her attention, if he ever had ever harboured any doubts about how Velma felt about him this laid them to rest. She was really letting her more playful side come through and he loved every minute of it. For herself Velma couldn't quite put her finger on it but something was, well not wrong, but odd, she was feeling a bit strange. Her face felt warm and that wasn't just from the surprise of finding herself playing footsie with Shaggy under the table, she couldn't help it he was becoming more desirable by the second. She was also unusually giggly and light=headed, she guessed that she had been in the sun too long. Perhaps she should get an early night. She looked up at Shaggy, a cold shower at the very least, but there was one problem. Out of the corner of his eye Shaggy could see Daphne hurry over, a look of faint concern evident on her face as she sat down next to him.

"Emm Shaggy" said Velma quietly "Could, could you carry me to my room?"

Velma managed not to laugh out loud at Daphne and Shaggy's expression. She paused, why was everything so darn funny all of a sudden?

"OK" replied Shaggy, unsure of where this was leading "you look at bit flushed, are you feeling alright?" Shaggy got up and sat next to her.

"My legs seem to have stopped working that's all."

Daphne looked at the two empty pitchers "Velma" she asked carefully "how much of this did you drink?"

"Most of it!" Velma gave her a huge smile and slowly slid in the direction of Shaggy.

Shaggy and Daphne managed to get Velma to her room without being noticed. Shaggy had Velma drink several glasses of water before they put her to bed. Daphne excused herself to allow them to say goodnight to each other. Shaggy lay next to Velma, gently caressing and kissing her as she responded in kind but she soon slowed and her passion ebbed as tiredness overcame her just as he expected. Velma muttered something that sounded like 'lump use Shaggy', 'lub who Shaggy' or similar but she was asleep before he could reply. He tucked her in then kissed her on the forehead "Like, I love you too Velma" he whispered and with that he turned out the lights and left.

Velma awoke early next morning feeling fine but hungry so she hurried down to the hotel restaurant where she bumped into Daphne who was getting her breakfast. The pair sat together to eat and enjoy the peace of the early morning. Once they were eating their food Daphne decided it was time to confront Velma about her and Shaggy's not dating.

"So when are you going to stop this 'not dating' Shaggy business? You two aren't fooling anyone anymore, I almost needed a crowbar to get you two apart yesterday"

"You're right Daph. I think we were a little obvious at dinner."

"D'ya think? I'm surprised he got out alive."

"Oh stop it Daph, still he was particularly irresistible yesterday" Velma grinned.

"Right then Velma time to move in for the kill so to speak. So what's the way to a man's heart?" said Daphne waving her fork in Velma's direction and readying her pre-planned homily.

"Sharp knife through the sternum then you use a rib-spreader to crack open the chest cavity after which…" Velma stopped when Daphne dropped the fork.

"Not literally, metaphorically" said Daphne holding her head in her hands.

Velma smiled in relief at having stopped Daphne's lecture "I know Daph, just teasing"

Daphne looked at the food on her plate and pushed it away.

"Do you mind…?" Velma asked expectantly gesturing to Daphne's plate.

"No, not now my appetite has gone" she replied, she looked up to see Velma tucking into her food "Hey you did that on purpose!"

"Like I said Daph" replied Velma between mouthfuls "I'm really getting somewhere with Shaggy"

"Ah grand Velma, you've already up" said a voice from behind them, the girls turned round to see Clive come in "look at this" he walked to the table and placed today's edition of the local paper on their table.

"Jeepers Velma listen famous American hottie Velma Dinkley..."

"Daphne" said Velma sternly.

"Just teasing, it's an article about the legend your investigating Local historian Jethro Menwynick says that the Ives' legend is more than just a myth and its almost certain that the missing treasure is hidden in one of the local caves. The paper also says that people have heard unusual voices and strange lights in some of the caves at night. The coastguard has issued a warning to treasure hunters that the caves are tidal and anyone inside is liable to get trapped. Menwynick warned people that the treasure is cursed and that a terrible fate awaited any who found it."

"Pffff what respectable hidden treasure _doesn't_ have a curse attached to it?" yawned Velma "come on Daph, let's get moving we've got caves to visit."

"And the boys to wake first" said Daphne.

"Hmmm, well let's get the difficult part of the day over with" said Velma.


	4. Paddling and Meddling

Having deposited Fred in front of the TV again the gang walked down to the dock and the waiting boat. Shaggy had been designated team photographer for the trip as Daphne would be focusing on dive safety just in case Velma got into trouble. As they went along Shaggy split his time between Velma, taking photographs of Velma, taking photographs of the scenery – most times with Velma in them and looking in shop windows. It was early in the morning so most were closed but there were a couple of bakeries and a delicatessen open so he took a few detours on the way. Daphne, Velma and Clive boarded the boat and stowed their gear, they were just about to cast off when they realised that Shaggy and Scooby were not there.

"Where are they, oh there they are" said Daphne as she spied the pair.

"Come on Shaggy!" yelled Velma as he and Scooby sprinted up the jetty carrying a number of bags. As soon as they were aboard the boat cast off.

"What did you get?" asked Velma sitting next to Shaggy.

"Just a few snacks, sea air can make you hungry you know" he replied.

"Honestly Shaggy time and tide wait for no man or his stomach" said Velma "or you Scooby Doo" Velma patted Scooby on his head as she spoke.

The group engaged in small talk and looked at the scenery as the boat headed out.

"We should be at the first cave in about ten minutes Velma" said Clive after about half an hour.

"Right I'm going to get changed" said Velma as she headed below decks.

Daphne paid careful attention to Shaggy's face when Velma emerged in her wet-suit. Pupils dilating – check, nervously licking lips – check. Daphne knew without looking that he was reaching for his camera.

Velma reached into her bag and pulled out a long knife in a sheath which she then proceeded to strap to her calf.

"Like you expecting pirates?" said Shaggy staring at the knife.

"No Shag, dive safety, it means Velma can cut herself out of any fishing line and the like if she gets tangled up in it" said Daphne.

Velma proceeded to strap another smaller object to her arm

"This is more of a multi-tool device so I don't have to use the knife for things it wasn't designed for" said Velma as she fitted a weight belt and the rest of her gear..

The boat pulled close to the cave edge and Velma climbed into the water. Clive passed her the camera then she part swam, part walked into the cave.

For the rest of the morning Velma visited a number of caves, some were empty but in others she found evidence of occupation, rotten wood, shoe buckles, buttons and the like. These would be passed to the local museum for further study. In one she found the remains of chairs and a table on a flat section of the cave a few feet above water. She hauled herself out of the water to explore further. The table had a compartment at one side, inside she found some scraps of paper with faded writing on, some old coins and a few other items, she sealed them in a waterproof bag. Velma was sure this was an important find, the items could help date the occupants of the cave. She began to explore further in the cave, it appeared to go some way back so made a loud clicking noise so she could judge the size of the cave by the echo. Definitely a long cave, she was unsure of she heard a shuffling noise in the distance; she checked her watch, time to move onto the next location she could revisit this cave later. She pushed of the edge and into the water just as something came flying out of the darkness, a few seconds later an object appeared to float down a little way ahead of her, she swam down and picked it up. It was a dagger of some kind, she reasoned that it had been stuck in the side of the cave and her diving in had dislodge it. She added it to the evidence she had already collected then headed for the boat.

Velma emerged from the cave to see a dive boat alongside their boat but by the time she got to the side of the boat the dive boat was heading away. Shaggy and Clive leant over the side ready to help Velma on board.

"Like someone just called me their lover, like no way Velma, like I've never met them before" Shaggy looked panicked, Velma just bobbed about in the water looking baffled.

"It's just a term of endearment, like friend, mate, bro and so on _me luvver_" said Clive imitating the local accent "in any case they told us that this was the area where the unusual lights and voices had been reported" Velma passed up her things and they helped her on board.

"Well someone has been here before, there are obvious signs of habitation but I can't say for sure how long ago it was. I even found a dagger in the water."

"Excellent work Velma. One more cave to go before the tides are against us."

In boat stopped nearby the final cave of the morning, for this Velma would use snorkel and flippers as the cave was still mostly submerged. As she swam towards the cave Daphne got ready, if there was any place where Velma could get into trouble then it was here. She sat on the edge of the boat snorkel and flippers on and watched Velma swim into the cave. Velma was mostly taking photographs of the submerged cave bottom as the land here had sunk slightly in the intervening centuries so it was possible that some evidence was submerged. Something glinted on the bottom as she took a photograph. Stowing her camera she shone her torch in the area, there was a indeed a yellowish glint amongst the rocks and silt. From the outside of the cave Daphne saw Velma's head and snorkel disappear and a brief splash, she started the timer on her watch.

_Junkies real gold coins_ thought Velma as she carefully dug in the rocks and silt. She briefly went up for air then resumed her excavation, once completed she headed quickly for the boat.

"Shaggy! Look what I've found" Velma called out as she swam alongside and took hold of the boarding ladder, she held up a package in her hand.

"Like a gold coin, hey Daph look at this."

"Jeepers Velma, real treasure."

"Excellent, the museum will be pleased" said Clive.

Once they had hauled Velma on-board the boat got ready to leave. Shaggy slipped another memory card in his camera just as Velma went below deck to get changed.

"Yet another memory card full of photos of Velma in a wetsuit" teased Daphne.

"Ahhhh."

"So we're going to have two holiday photo albums this year, one regular and a special Velma wetsuit edition."

"Daph?"

"Yes Shag."

"Say cheese" he said taking a close-up of her.

"Shaggy!" cried Daphne as spots from the flashgun floated before her eyes

The boat headed away from the cave to return to port; soon it rounded a prominence into more exposed choppy water. Velma emerged and sat next to Shaggy and started singing to herself.

"And all of the crew they were brave men,

But the captain, he was braver,

He said "Never mind the ship, me boys,

There's none of us here can save her."

Let her go down,

Swim for your lives,

Swim for your children,

Swim for your wives,

But let her go down,

Just let…. muoopf." She was stopped when Shaggy shoved a bun into her mouth

"Like can we have a song about boats not sinking but instead returning safely to harbour, please?"

"Mufpurgel!" said Velma angrily, much to everyone's amusement.

They arrived at the dock by the time Velma had finished the bun and after collecting their gear they walked up a hill and sat down on a grassy bank overlooking the bay while Clive took the finds to the local museum for safe keeping. They had a couple of hours to spare while the tide turned.

"That bun you 'gave' me on the boat was nice, what was it?" said Velma resting against Shaggy.

"Saffron bun, I got a load of food that I'd never heard of before for emm culinary research purposes."

"Can I have another one? What else did you get? I'm ready for lunch already."

_That's my girl_ he thought as he started to look through his bag and taking out an example of each of the foods as he named them.

"Well I've got Cornish Pasties, pork pies, sausage rolls, hot cross buns, Eccles cakes, saffron buns, London cheesecake, bread and butter pudding, lardy cakes and some Cornish yarg cheese."

"Emm why is it grey?"

"It gets wrapped in nettle leaves when it's made and they go grey while it matures" he replied "and to wash it down I've got some still lemonade, a few cans of something called Irn-Bru, something called dandelion and burdock, and a fizzy drink made from Elderflowers."

Daphne looked at the ham sandwiches and carton of orange-juice Fred had ordered for her and wondered if she should start 'not dating' Shaggy.

"Pssst Velma, trade you"

"What for that sandwich?"

"No, Shaggy for Fred, my stomach is complaining at the site of all that food"

"No" said Velma clutching hold of Shaggy's waist causing him to drop a cake. Daphne leapt and grabbed the cake in mid-air before Scooby could react "no trade Daph, but there's enough food for all of us so join in."

When the tide was in their favour they set out to visit a few more caves and some secluded coves. As time went by Velma accumulated more items of interest, some were clearly recent but others appeared to be of the correct time period.

While Clive and Velma conferred over the various finds, reference books showing that a number of the coins and artefacts came from the Elizabethan period, Shaggy conferred with Daphne.

"Like Daph I've got the strangest feeling we're being followed."

"How do you mean?"

"Like wherever we go there always seems to be a boat a few miles behind us."

"Are you sure? There I've lost count of the number of small boats we seen today,"

"I know but there always seems to be one back there wherever I look."

At the next cave there was an inflatable blocking the entrance, and from the demeanour of the occupants it was clear that visitors were very unwelcome. Discretion being the better part of valour they instead headed for the cave where the dagger had been found, Velma planned to do a more through survey and this would take up the rest of the day. Daphne and Shaggy kept looking over their shoulder, as time went on Daphne was minded to agree with Shaggy.

Velma had been studying the cave for almost an hour, she had returned to the boat a few of times to bring back things she had found and to keep them updated with what she was going to do next. As the boat wallowed in the swell Shaggy began to feel a bit queasy, he hung over the edge of the boat just in case. Occasionally he looked up to see what was going on and if it would take his mind of from how he was feeling. The next time he looked up he got the shock of his life.

"Zoinks! Smoke!" said Shaggy pointing at the cave. Smoke was bellowing out of the mouth of the cave, he could no longer see inside.

"Jeepers. Clive get the boat as close as you can" called Daphne as she put her snorkel and flippers on. When they were as close as the skipper dared to go Daphne handed Shaggy a line then dived in and headed for the cave, reeling out the line as she went. She emerged from the cave a minute later half dragging Velma with her. They were dragged on board and everyone crowded round.

"What happened?" asked Clive.

"All of a sudden the cave filled with smoke. I just got disorientated; I think I bumped my head as well which made it worse" Velma was sitting up, Shaggy on one side, Daphne on the other. The boat was heading away from the cave and back to shore, the coastguard had been alerted and a fire crew was being organised to investigate.

"Like was there a fire?" asked Shaggy.

"No, there was nothing I could see. One moment it was just empty cave, the next I'm fumbling around in smoke" Velma paused "now you mention it, it didn't smell like smoke from a fire, more of a chemical smell."

"It's possible you accidentally set off some kind of flare or munition. All kinds of stuff gets washed up here, including unexploded weapons from World War Two. It's also possible that munitions were stored there by the home guard in case of invasion" said Clive.

"Possibly, but I also found something from more recent times just before the smoke appeared" she took out of her bag some flat rectangles with pins on one side "these are some of the latest microprocessors, they've only just been made available to selected manufacturers. I _so_ want one of these for my new computer."

"Well the coastguard will be meeting us when we get back, you can pass them on to them" said Clive.

"I'll take Scooby back to the hotel; I think he's feeling a bit seasick."

"Reah, rhe rand ris raying rack and rorth" Scooby wobbled as he walked.

Velma crouched down and stroked his head "Don't worry Scooby, it's just you balance is a bit out, you'll be fine soon enough."

"Ry rinner rime?"

"I should think so."

"See you soon pal" said Shaggy as Daphne and Scooby headed back to the hotel.

"Fancy a walk along the beach before we head back?" said Velma slipping her hand into his.

"Sure, like Velma?"

"Yes Shaggy?"

"I think Daphne's rumbled us, it's time to stop the 'not dating' and start just dating."

"Absolutely, I was thinking the same thing. I only just managed to escape one of her 'how to win a man' lectures this morning" said Velma as they walked along the beach.

"You won ages ago" he bent down and kissed her on the lips.

It was clear to Shaggy that Velma was thinking about something, it was when they were heading back that he decided to find out what it was.

"What's on your mind Vel?"

"I wonder why those people kept us away?"

"Like they could be treasure hunters."

"True but some of the other things I found just doesn't make sense in the context of the Ives' legend. Perhaps something is going on here" at Velma's pronouncement Shaggy's shoulders sagged slightly.

"Why can't we have a holiday without a mystery?" he complained as he helped Velma up the sea wall onto the promenade. They walked along the promenade with their arms round each other's waist.

"I agree Shag, but I think if we went on holiday in your parent's basement there would be a mystery. So if it will always happen on holiday, at least let it be somewhere nice when it happens." she replied smiling at him, their eyes locked for a few seconds, they looked away both slightly embarrassed.

"Suppose so Velms. Hey fancy an ice-cream? There's a stall on the other side of the road." said Shaggy as he began to dash off.

"Yes please Shag... Hey don't forget they drive on the other side..." she looked up at the sound of a car breaking hard.

"SHAGGY!" she screamed.

(A/N Lyrics are from the song 'Let Her Go Down' by the English folk-rock band Steeleye Span.)


	5. Bump

Daphne dashed into the local hospital colliding with a now familiar face, the doctor who had first treated Fred then her.

"Oh sorry Dr Jome, I just heard..."

"Your Mr Rogers is fine, the car was going quite slowly when it hit him so there were no serious injuries he just has a hairline fracture of his left fibula, that's the smaller bone in the lower leg, which is currently being put in a cast. Once that is set and we've done another set of X-rays he should be good to leave. I'm more concerned about his partner as she unfortunately witnessed the accident and is still very distressed."

Daphne gave a sigh of relief, she had received a near hysterical phone call from Velma which made the accident sound worse that it was, but as Velma had actually seen the accident happen it was no wonder she was so upset. Then something the doctor said came to her attention.

"His… _partner_?"

"Yes, a Miss Dinkley. Is that incorrect as she was most emphatic about it?"

"Oh I think that's correct."

She needed to have a little talk with Velma when she had calmed down just to be sure. After that she would have to break the bad news to Fred that he had lost his bet with her about when they would give up the 'not dating' charade. All bets aside she knew Velma would be in need of a shoulder to cry on and a good ear. If there was one thing that could dent Velma's cool, logical exterior it was seeing one of her friends get hurt, and as Shaggy was now more than a friend Daphne knew she'd be beside herself with worry. She found Velma sitting in a cubicle sorting out Shaggy's things while he was being X-rayed. Before Velma could say anything Daphne held her tightly.

"It was my fault, I said I wanted an ice-cream, I didn't remind Shaggy quickly enough" Velma twisted a tear=soaked handkerchief as she spoke.

"It was nobody's fault" Daphne held on tightly.

"It was horrible, I saw it all happen; there was nothing I could do."

"You did Velma, you took care of Shaggy."

"Avast, me hearties! Peg-leg Rogers at your service ladies" they both turned round to see Shaggy walk in on crutches.

"Shaggy!" Velma dashed over and carefully embraced him so as not to knock him over.

"Great job in sorting out my things, we're all ready to go now."

"Well here's some good news for you both, Fred's getting his balance back; he can sit up without falling over. The hotel have loaned him a wheelchair so he can join us for meals."

"Sweet Daph" said Shaggy.

"Come on Captain Ahab" said Velma as she picked up Shaggy's things while Daphne went in front to open the doors. She bent down to adjust her shoe.

"Avast behind!" said Shaggy, Daphne turned her head and stared at him through narrowed eyes.

It was an unspoken decision that the next day would be more-or-less a day off for them all. The only thing Velma was going to do was a visit to the local museum that afternoon to sift through their archives. First they all got together for breakfast, the first time they had been able to do so for the past few days.

"Shaggy needs extra food to help him build up his strength and speed his recovery" said Velma as she brought over some more food and put it on Shaggy's plate.

"And Vel deserves extra 'cause she'd the best" he replied.

"Not to mention hungry."

"So what are we eating this morning?" said Fred as Daphne pushed his wheelchair over.

"A full English breakfast" said Velma as she sat down "Fried eggs, fried bread, bacon, sausages, fried mushrooms, baked beans…"

"Hey these beans don't go squelch when you stab them with a fork like the ones back at home" said Shaggy and proceeded to try to fit as many beans as he could on each prong of the fork.

"I have a theory" said Velma between mouthfuls "that there is an inverse relationship between how tasty food is and how good it is for you."

"Like fat mean flavour" said Shaggy.

"So what are these black disc things then? Mmmmm so rich, a bit peppery and just so yummy" said Daphne. On the end of her fork was a black disk a couple of inches in diameter and about half an inch thick.

"I remember correctly they are from the north of England and are called Black Pudding" said Shaggy after a few seconds thought.

"Can we make some when we get back home? What's in them?" asked Daphne.

Shaggy paused, that was the queue for Fred, Velma and Scooby to look at Daphne and wait for her reaction "Oatmeal, pork, herbs and" Shaggy mumbled something at the end

"What Shaggy? Look I've travelled widely" said Daphne.

"Mostly pig's blood."

"That's it. I'm going home and eating nothing but toast from now on" said Daphne now hiding underneath the table.

Velma had been in libraries and archives in most parts of the world and they were all home-from-home for her. Soon her all-consuming worries about Shaggy's injury were set-aside as she relaxed into her work. She was making steady progress through the documents adding to her piles of notes and diagrams as she worked to find the links between the information that would reveal what was what and help them make sense of the field work data. She was contemplating studying the pastries in a nearby coffee shop when she was interrupted by a visitor.

"Excuse me, but are you Velma Dinkley?"

Velma looked up to see a tall elderly man with a bald head and a Father Christmas beard while his hands and face spoke of a life lived mostly outdoors. He wore a tweed jacket, a heavy cotton shirt, faded cord trousers and well used walking boots; in his left hand he held a walking stick with an ornately carved bone handle.

"Yes, can I help you?"

"Well no, I was hoping I could help you, permit me to introduce myself my name is Jethro Menwynick."

Velma stood up to greet him "Pleased to meet you Mr Menwynick, I recognise you from your photograph in the paper."

"Flattery will get you everywhere young lady, I still had hair then. May I join you for a moment?"

"Please, be my guest. Do you spend much time in here?" Velma asked as they sat down.

"Well not as much as I would like but more time than I should if you know what I mean. It's a great place to take a nap as well, nobody playing music through their phones you see."

"I know what you mean" in that moment Velma had a vision of her twilight years, pottering about in library archives, paying little attention to what was going on in the outside world having finally found the time and space to do what she wanted, just find stuff out.

For the next couple of hours they discussed the Ives' legend and the history of smuggling in the area. Velma quickly realised that Menwynick knew his history and was able to add all kinds of missing information that would have taken Velma days to dig out. They ended their discussion talking about the supposed curse upon the treasure.

"Do you believe in ghost then?" asked Velma

He sighed "Yes and no. I've been around the world enough to know that most things are explainable but, well Cornwall has a long association with all things magical and mystical. So I would never say no, just to be on the safe side."

"But it's highly unlikely that there are any Elizabethan pirates lurking in the shadows protecting their treasure."

"Quite but, if the treasure is found then I would rather it be found by someone like yourself. The only thing you are greedy for is knowledge and that is no bad thing these days, better than watching day-time TV."

"Tell me about it" laughed Velma.

"Too many people are getting into the habit of letting other do their thinking for them, think for yourself, that's my motto. But to be serious, you would do what is honourable and right, but there are a few who would not. So please be careful."

"I will Mr Menwynick" Velma shook his hand and headed out of the library. As she left a person was being escorted out of the library by a couple of members of staff.

"Next time we see you hanging around acting like that we'll call the police" said one as the staff at the retreating figure's back.

"What was that all about" asked Velma

"Just some weirdo found lurking around the library; he was seen acting suspiciously in the archive section for the past hour."

"Hmmmm" when Velma and with that she headed back to the hotel. On her way back she couldn't shake the feeling she was being followed.

That evening saw Shaggy and Velma huddled up in bed together watching TV while Scooby lay at the bottom of the bed. Daphne brought them in some hot chocolate then sat on the edge of the bed.

"So what are you two watching tonight, horror, sci-fi?" said Daphne _not that you'll be doing much watching_ she thought.

"Nope a documentary" said Velma.

"Yeah, it's got something to interest both of us" said Shaggy.

"It's about Fort Brassica in Oklahoma" said Velma.

"Fort Brassica?" said Daphne.

"Yeah it's where America's strategic coleslaw reserves are held" said Shaggy.

"We have coleslaw reserves?" said Daphne.

"Oh sure it was built during the height of the cold war so in the aftermath of World War Three we wouldn't run out of coleslaw" said Shaggy.

"As if we wouldn't have suffered enough already" muttered Daphne wandering out of the room.

The next day Velma and Daphne visited some more caves and out of the way places as Velma sought to bring all the pieces together. The sun was setting whn they finally arrived back in the hotel for a final meeting with the producer.

"Well Clive I've got a good idea where the treasure may be hidden, I want to do one more set of visits just to confirm my theory then we can hand the details over to the local museum to follow up."

"That's just grand Velma, I've got a meeting tomorrow but I'll see if I can get an assistant to go with you."

"OK, I'll wait for them to come and get me…" they stopped as they were distracted by a commotion from the next table.

"If you're not going to buy anything then I'll have to ask you to leave"

"Don't worry I've just got everything I need" and with that the figure got up and left the hotel.

"It's the seaside, it attracts all kinds of nutters" said Clive.

Velma sat up in bed and turned the bedside light on, there was no denying it, she was hungry. She figured it was all that running around in the fresh air that was doing it. Normally when at home she would just drink a glass of cold water and be done with it, but today she felt like pushing the boat out so looked through the room service menu. One particular item caught her eye and she picked up the phone, thirty minutes later there was a discrete knock on her door. Velma sniffed the air as she carried the tray into her room, hot, fresh pie. She put tray on bedside cabinet, closed her eyes then slowly lifted the lid savouring the aromas as she did so. She opened her eyes and looked down at the pie; the pie looked back at her. Bad leg or not Shaggy was in Velma's room before he was fully awake; Daphne and Scooby were there seconds later. All of them had heard her scream out in absolute terror, the window was closed, her bed was in a mess and she was nowhere to be seen. They eventually found her hiding on top of the wardrobe; she was trembling and as white as a sheet. The instant Daphne had helped Velma down she ran to Shaggy and cowered behind him.

"Pie, evil pie" she muttered.

"Oh for goodness sake Velma it's just a" Daphne lifted lid and stared down at half a dozen fish heads sticking out from the piecrust. "Oh hello Mr Pilchard" she muttered just before she fainted.

"What did you order Velma?" asked Shaggy

"Something called Stargazey pie, I'm really hungry."

"Well close your eyes and I'll feed you."

"Thanks Shag" Velma closed her eyes and accepted the first spoonful

"What's going on?" asked Fred as he wheeled himself into the room.

"Allergic reaction to fish pie" replied Shaggy

"But none of us are allergic to fish"

"How about this" Shaggy showed Fred the pie

"Crikies, that's fishy" Fred rapidly reversed out of the room

"All gone Velma you ate everything…"

"Including the heads!" Velma fainted back onto the bed next to Daphne.

"But the heads" said Shaggy. He tucked them both into bed and picked up the room service menu. The night was still young and there was pie on the menu.

(A/N Stargazy pie is a fish pie with the heads and sometimes the tails of fish sticking out through the crust.)


	6. Up Creek, Minus Paddle

Velma's eyes shot open, someone was in bed with her; she could sense their presence, hear their breathing. She froze when an arm flopped round her waist and her head was cover by a wave of red hair.

"Hmmmm Fred-die" muttered Daphne as she nuzzled Velma's neck. Velma held her breath and rolled her eyes waiting for Daphne to settle back down to sleep, soon Daphne was floppy and snoring softly. Carefully Velma managed to untangle herself and sat at the edge of the bed and fumbled around for her glasses. Despite being careful, the motion must have disturbed Daphne as she partially woke-up.

"Hmmmm, Velma?" Daphne half sat-up in bed and rubbed her eyes trying to work out how she ended up in bed with Velma.

"You were fantastic last night Daph, I'm so glad we came here for our honeymoon."

"Huh? Last _night_? What, you, you mean, we've, we're… but we're on a case."

"It must have been a dream Daphne my darling," Velma gave Daphne a sultry gaze but couldn't stop a corner of her mouth twitching into a smile.

"Velma!" Daphne hurled a pillow which hit Velma with such force it caused her to slip off the bed.

"Fish-pie poisoning, it's not my fault," said Velma from the floor.

"Oh jeepers I remember the pie with… that looked back at you…"

"That's the one. What with your encounter at breakfast yesterday it's like we've fallen into a place where Shaggy's food dreams are real."

"You just stop it right there Velma Dinkley, a joke about us being on honeymoon I can handle, but Shaggy's food dreams being real, just _no_."

"Well come on Daph, let's see what culinary wonders await us this morning."

Despite all their concerns breakfast proceeded smoothly that morning. After which Shaggy, Scooby and Fred went to the TV lounge while Daphne and Velma went to get ready. Not long after they boys had sat down there came a voice from reception.

"I'm here from the TV Company to pick-up someone called Dinkley,"

"I'll call her she should be down soon."

At the sound of Velma's name Scooby padded out so see who it was. Standing at reception was a balding man with straggly hair, brown shirt and jumper, grubby jeans and trainers. He was carrying a clipboard and some papers and appeared already thoroughly bored by the whole affair.

Velma was down a few minutes later and approached reception.

"You Velma Dinkley?"

"Yes and you are?"

"Sam Evans, Clive's assistant," the man appeared like his handshake, limp and bit damp

"Thanks for coming; we should be able to get going soon."

"What are we waiting for?"

"My friend Daphne," replied Velma. Scooby circled around Velma suspiciously eyeing the man.

"Just come on, we've got stuff to do we're not taking sightseers."

"No Daph does my dive safety, I don't go if she's not there, period, besides it wasn't a problem for Clive," said Velma, whoever this guy was he'd sure got out of the wrong side of bed this morning.

"He didn't tell me about her. Can you hurry her up? I'd like to get this over and done with; I'm really not good on boats, especially small ones."

Velma nodded that probably explained his whole demeanour; she'd be the same if she'd been asked to cover a fashion show.

The morning proceeded according to schedule, the wind was light and the water relatively flat which seemed to improve Sam's mood but things still weren't the same. Everything seemed to be more subdued on board. They were using a different boat, there was only one crew, the skipper, and he never left the small wheelhouse while Sam showed only the faintest interest in anything Velma found. The lack of Shaggy also took the edge off the enjoyment as he was also good at lightening the mood.

At the penultimate cave Daphne and Scooby got off along with Velma so they could stretch their legs, they played fetch while Velma looked around. Velma returned to the boat to use the head and not long after she heard and felt the boat get underway. She was held up as the door was stuck, she called out for help but no-one answered but after a few hefty pulls the door came open and she headed topside. It was only when she got on deck did she realise that Daphne and Scooby were not there. Sam seemed to be half asleep in the cabin. The cave was nowhere to be seen, the coastline was not immediately recognisable.

"Turn back, we've left them behind," Velma raced into the wheelhouse.

"I thought you were all aboard, that's why I set off;" the skipper snapped back "it's my boat so I say no."

"Don't worry, we'll drop you off and then we'll go back and get them. The tide is against us if you want to see what you want to see in that last cave," said Sam actually getting involved in the situation.

"I can come back another day if necessary."

"Boats don't come cheap so we'd like to make full use of the boat hire. Just don't go in the water till we get back."

"Fair enough."

Half an hour later Velma was dropped off at the cave, she watched the boat depart then slung her rucksack over her shoulder, turned around and headed into the cave resolving to have a few strong words with Clive when he returned tomorrow.

She carefully headed down the tunnel, examining the wall she could see from the marks that there had been considerable human activity over the centuries; most of the marks showed some weathering. The tunnel did go on for an impressive length; it seemed to curve slightly into the hillside some way ahead. It may have been the acoustics of the tunnel playing tricks with noise from outside but is sounded like there was movement ahead of her, speech even. As the neared the corner there seemed to be some kind of mist or fog in the air, she did a double take when she peered round the corner, shadowy figures moved within the mist. There was definitely light coming from somewhere else other than the cave mouth. Velma knelt down and retrieved her camera and took some photographs.

_Jinkies_, she thought to herself as she studied the photograph in the viewfinder, _they look just like old-time pirates__, but there's no mystery, nothing strange going on; just an old legend…_

A smile came over her face as she recalled the conversation she had with Jethro Menwynick in the library. Perhaps, just perhaps, this was concrete evidence of ghosts _and_ proof of the Ives' legend all in one. She scrolled to the next picture; the figures seem to have seen her. She stared into the camera viewfinder unable to believe what she was seeing, in the next frame they were heading in her direction. She looked up to find herself surrounded by the same group of people she had just photographed. A cutlass glinted in the light as it was drawn from its scabbard.

_Error 404: Escape route not found_ she thought just before she was grabbed by each arm and forced to the ground. Someone stood on her head while her rucksack was pulled off. The foot was removed, a noose was slipped around her neck and she was pulled to her feet by it. She could feel a small trickle of blood from where the side of her face had been pressed into the ground. Before she had recovered from being choked by the noose the first time she was dragged backwards deeper into the cave by the same noose. The person pulling her along was much taller than her, causing the noose to be constantly tight around her neck restricting her breathing, her feet struggled to reach the ground her hands pawed at the noose trying to loosen it. Mist seemed to swirl about her feet and there were flashes of light before her eyes; she felt dizzy and disorientated. She was taken into a large cave which was lit my torches. A brief scan of the room showed that it appeared to be some kind of store room; there were numerous chests, crates and sacks lining the walls. She was thrown to the ground in front of a strangely dressed man sitting on what looked like a mock throne. Velma began to stand up but was forced back onto her knees in front of the throne.

"Who, who are you?" she stammered. She froze in fear as the man produced dagger and leant down; she sucked in her stomach as he pressed the dagger point into her navel. In silence he ran the point of the dagger along the zip of her wetsuit, up her sweater, along her throat and stopped just under her chin, the pressure forcing her head up slightly.

"I be Master Ives."


	7. And Then There Was One

Fred and Shaggy were well into their plan to fall asleep while watching some TV when they were startled awake by a commotion from the hotel lobby, they turned to see Daphne bust into the TV lounge.

"Get… police… Velma… something… wrong…" she panted resting her hands on her knees as she spoke.

"What's wrong? What happened Daph?" Fred wheeled himself over.

Daphne swallowed "Boat left us behind, couldn't see her. We, we climbed up to see what was going on, boat went wrong way, dropped Velma off at different cave then just went away."

"Like where's Scooby?" said Shaggy as he finally managed to hobble over.

"Scooby's keeping watch and getting as close as he can. Guys I think she's found the treasure but treasure hunters have found her. I have a really bad feeling about this."

"Come and sit down and catch your breath then tell us in detail what happened," said Fred guiding her into the nearest chair.

"OK Freddie, but get the hotel to call the police first. Well it started out OK…" Daphne recounted the day's events in as much detail as she could while the hotel receptionist called the police.

"…and then I ran and kept running I didn't look back, I knew I just had to get here."

"Like man that was quick, the police are here already," said Shaggy as he saw a police car pull up outside. A woman was escorted out of the back, there was a flash of hope that this affair may be over before it had even begun. The woman in question was brought in by two police officers but it wasn't Velma. She was taller and rounder than Velma with frizzy hair and wore stripy coloured clothing. She also looked rather dishevelled and shocked.

"I'm looking for a Velma Dinkley?"

"Who are you?" said Fred.

"I'm Lindsay Hogan, Clive's assistant. He asked me to meet Velma; I'm late as some idiot rammed my car into a ditch, stole my stuff then tied me up."

"Oh-oh" said Fred quietly.

"What do you mean oh-oh? Where is Miss Dinkley?" said Lindsay.

"We think she's in trouble, she was collected by someone claiming to be Clive's assistant this morning and hasn't been seen for a few hours, We've got someone looking out for her…" said Fred.

Just then Scooby came in, limping badly.

"Relma, rirates rave Remla."

"Like the pirates have Velma!" said Shaggy.

"Oh Scooby look at you," Daphne knelt down to examine his injuries.

"What happened Scooby?" said Fred. Scooby explained that he had got as close as he could, there had been no sign of Velma but a boat had arrived and dropped off a few people then left, but no Velma emerged.

"I'll call a vet, his paws are all cut up, must have been from climbing," the hotel manager headed off to reception.

"I'll call in CID and a dog unit" said one of the officers who arrived with Lindsay Hogan "do you have a description and photograph of Miss Dinkley?"

Fred's diary entry for the day summarised the morning. 'Give statements, cool heels, crawl up walls.'

Finally another police car arrived containing another pair of officers, one male one female, both in plain clothes. Things were obviously stepping up a gear; they both strode in with a business-like manner. The woman walked up to Daphne and introduced herself "I'm Detective Inspector Julie McAlistair from Devon and Cornwall CID and this is Detective Sergeant Hirst. We were hoping to come and see Miss Dinkley tomorrow to discuss a number of items she found during her searches. I understand now she's missing?"

"Like bad news, she's been captured by pirates," said Shaggy.

"Pirates, I don't think so. Did any of them look like this?" DI McAlistair showed them some photographs.

"Jeepers, that's the guy who claimed to be Clive's assistant, and that one looks like the man who was driving the boat we were on."

The detective and the sergeant exchanged glances, the sergeant walked out of the room speaking into his radio "Uniform 9-9 urgent..."

The detective took out her mobile "Get me DCI Hawkins… Chief it's Julie, that smuggling case has just turned nasty..." A few minutes later she turned to face Daphne, "We've an armed response unit on the way, tell me exactly where the entrance to that cave is."

The cave itself was large and deep, there was a small channel where water had cut through a weakness in the rock over the millennia. Aside from the channel most of the cave was dry, except a spring tides. At high tide it was just possible to bring a rigid inflatable into the cavern. The cavern itself was a hive of activity; the smugglers were getting ready to move their loot out to a safer location, too much attention was being paid to this location. When the tide was high they would load up the small boats and be on their way taking everything with them, almost everything. At the furthest end of the channel bubbles regularly appeared at the surface. At the bottom lay a human shaped cage within was Velma. A pair of air tanks attached to the outside provided her air. Trapped inside Velma worked hard to free herself whilst conserving as much air as possible, despite her situation, she had a plan. In their haste to get her out of the way the gang had one mistake.

Finally the gang was finished, all their loot had been organised and stowed into suitable boxes for shipment. The leader looked around.

"Right one last check lads before we call the boat in. There's only one thing we'll be leaving behind."

The group fanned out searching the cave for any incriminating evidence. A pair of torch beams hit upon a mound in the furthest recesses of the cave. They'd seen it before and not given it a second thought, it looked too much like a rock from a distance. One of the gang approached it, motioning for the other to follow. The rock was in fact mouldy sailcloth thrown on top of something. The cloth fell apart when it was prodded with a torch. Rolls of the same material were in front and resting on fop of some wooden chests which easily fell apart after a few well-placed kicks, gold coins and jewels spilt out.

"Hey boss look at this."

After a brief look he called for some bags to be brought over, they scooped the gold and jewels into them then carried them into the centre of the room for all to see.

"Well boys we're about to go into the antiques business…" they turned to look at the water. There was a mass of bubbles from the where the gibbet lay, one of the gang checked their watch; it was about time for the air-tanks to run dry. One of them drew a pistol and approached the edge, there seemed to be a faint glow and disturbance in the water a distance away from where the cage was. Seconds later the cave was enveloped in a choking mist, shots rang out, screams of terror echoed briefly round the cave then all was silent.

(A/N Devon and Cornwall CID. The Devon and Cornwall police is the territorial police force responsible for policing the counties of Devon and Cornwall in England. CID stands for Criminal Investigation Department, the division of the police which investigates major crimes.)


	8. SAR

Despite much pleading Daphne had been refused permission to accompany the police raid so she ended up sitting in a Coastguard SUV on a hillside nearby, chewing her nails waiting for word of the police operation. She'd heard the boats go in, the muffled thud of concussion grenades then that was all. It had been too long, in her heart she knew it was all too late, no matter how fast she could have run it could never have been fast enough to get help in time to save Velma. She should have sent Scooby to get help and gone in herself; even if she had failed at least she would have done something. She could hear Velma's voice telling her that going to get help was the only thing that could have been done. It didn't help. Logic held little power over guilt no matter how ill placed that guilt may be.

"Miss Blake..." the Coastguard officer came running up, he'd just had word from the police about the raid. Daphne stared in horror as he described what they had found, bodies everywhere, a human-shaped cage underwater water with empty air tanks next to it, inside was an orange turtleneck jumper.

"That's her jumper, is she…?" The officer was still speaking but Daphne wasn't listening, couldn't listen anymore, a picture of Velma's last moments inside the cage as her air ran out was all she could think about. She'd always wanted to be the hero, the one to save the day. The reality of her failure hit her like a blast of cold air, how could she look Shaggy in the eye again let alone herself? Her mental silence was broken by a burst of static on the radio.

_All ships, all ships, all ships, this is Falmouth Coastguard, Falmouth Coastguard… _Daphne listened in silence as the Coastguard broadcast a request for help from all nearby vessels regarding a missing diver, a diver who exactly matched Velma's description. Daphne began to well-up as she heard various fishing boats, yachts, merchant ships and even a cruise liner all respond and head for the search area. Finally she looked up at the officer.

"She's alive?"

"She's not there; we found her bag in the cave but all we found inside the cage was that jumper. The cage door had been forced open at the bottom, not much but enough for someone small, and desperate enough, to squeeze through."

"Velma's small," Daphne said quietly, wondering if she could allow herself a tiny bit of hope.

"There was a chunk of wetsuit caught on the door, it wasn't torn off; it was cut off. The same colour as the one she was described as wearing. There was a bit of swimming costume with it, a bright pink colour…"

Daphne sat bolt upright "She's escaped, that's what she was wearing under the wet-suit."

"Police divers have been called in to do a thorough search but that's what we're assuming for now. Lifeboats will be launching in the next few minutes; a Navy search and rescue helicopter has been scrambled and will be here soon. The tide would have pushed her west along the coast, possibly against those cliffs in the far distance. We are getting cliff rescue teams to search the area."

"What are we waiting for? I want to help look for my friend." They set off for the search area, Daphne sat in the back clutching a pair of binoculars, looking out to sea. She managed to send a message to the gang; somehow Velma had escaped but was now missing.

After what to Daphne felt like an eternity they arrived at the search area indicated earlier. While the cliff rescue team abseiled down to look amongst the rocks Daphne stood on the tailgate of the vehicle for extra height and scanned the water using the biggest set of binoculars she could find. It had been well over an hour since the search had begun and who knows how long since Velma had been exposed to the elements. She would soon succumb to hypothermia if still in the water; if she had got ashore her chances weren't much better. There was a big storm heading in which would make finding a missing diver all but impossible, but Daphne knew she would be here, come hell or high water she would not abandon her friend. In the distance she could see the helicopter; it seemed to have abandoned its search pattern and now appeared to be circling over one area of water.

_You're a fighter Velma, keep fighting_ thought Daphne.

The radio crackled into life _Falmouth Coastguard, Falmouth Coastguard, this is Rescue 169... _Daphne froze; Rescue 169 was the helicopter's call-sign.

(A/N

1. Falmouth is pronounced more like Falmuth.

2. 'Lifeboats' sea-based search and rescue in the UK is mostly handled by the charity the RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institute).)


	9. Rescue 169

Daphne dropped down to hear the message better _Falmouth Coastguard, this is Rescue 169 casualty sighted; they appear to be unconscious but floating face-up in the water with life-vest and safety tube deployed, we are preparing to winch them on board. Will then go directly to the Royal Cornwall. _

Before anyone could stop her Daphne had climbed up on the roof of the SUV to get the best view possible. In the far distance she could see the red and grey coloured helicopter hovering, winching someone up. The winch man slowly spun round as they were lifted towards the helicopter, they were definitely holding onto someone. First all she could see was the winch-man in his flight-suit. Daphne bit her bottom lip and griped the binocular tightly, her eyes filled with tears when she saw that that someone was in an orange wet-suit with large hole in it, moments later the pair vanished inside. Daphne clapped her hands in joy as the helicopter turned and headed inland, she cheered after the helicopter willing it to go faster. Getting her wits together she called Shaggy so he could set off for the hospital.

The Royal Cornwall Hospital, Truro.

"Thank you Shaggy," said Velma softly as he placed the jug on her bed-side table. She was briefly distracted by a cute looking doctor who walked past her cubicle; there was something about a man in a white coat that made her go a bit weak at the knees so she began to contemplate Shaggy wearing one. She imagined him standing at her bedside in a gleaming white coat, a thoughtfully warmed stethoscope in warm hands, ready to attend to her every ailments. Her thoughts, and rapidly rising blood pressure, were interrupted by a growling sound next to her.

"Like, just off to see what I can get out of the vending machines and the café in reception. Fred and Daph should be here soon."

She watched Shaggy hobble off, a few more hours and she'd be walking out with him. Observation cubicle be dammed, Shaggy could do all the observing necessary back at the hotel but doctors were doctors. Today promised to be one of the best days of her life, aside being alive, always a bonus, and with Shaggy when they got back to the hotel Daphne had promised them both more comfort food than they could possibly consume. She lay back, closed her eyes and focused all her attention on the warm fuzzy feelings she got from Shaggy, his devoted attention an antidote to the terrors of the morning. A while later Shaggy returned, he removed her glasses placing them on the bed-side table; not even the smell of hot food roused her from her slumber. Shaggy sat back and checked his watch, shouldn't be long before Fred and Daphne would arrive.

Shaggy had just finished his food when he heard the sound of a familiar voice "Hey Shag," said Fred as Daphne wheeled him over "how's she doing?"

"Almost good to go. If she had her way we'd be waiting outside for you."

"Not sure about that, she looks so tired," said Daphne sitting down.

"Yeah a regular sleeping beauty," Shaggy stroked her hand.

"Well she's had a rough day," said Fred.

"She also hasn't had any coffee for nearly a whole day," said Velma quietly "talk about cruel and inhumane treatment."

"Speaking of coffee, I'll need some if I'm driving back," said Daphne.

"Sorry Daph, doctor's orders," said Fred.

"Like same here Daph," said Shaggy.

"Just you don't say anything," said Daphne to Velma.

"Shaggy can show you where to get some, and bring some back for me," said Velma.

When they returned the curtain was drawn, from the sound of it Velma was being examined by some doctors. Soon they left and the gang went in to find out the news.

"Jinkies do they keep their stethoscopes in the freezer here?" muttered Velma adjusting her gown as the gang re-entered the cubicle.

"Well?" said Daphne, Velma gave a thumbs up she'd been given the all-clear to go home.

"Emm you did bring me some new clothes?" said Velma.

"Almost, just wait there," called out Daphne as she dashed for the exit, emergency shopping was her speciality and carrying the bags was Fred's whether he like it or not.

"Where did they put my stuff? Better get plan B going."

"Here, Christmas has come early," Shaggy took a clear plastic bag from under her bed and placed it on her lap "all the bits cut off by the medics."

"I suppose we could sew it into some kind of clothing," said Velma as she examined the remains of her wetsuit "What's that?" she pointed at a cloth bag in the remains of her stuff I don't recall having that."

"That? Like you were holding onto that as if your life depended on it, man they had to sedate you to make you let go," said Shaggy.

"I don't recall picking anything up, what's inside?"

"Like here it is, man its heavy." Shaggy passed her the cloth bag which Velma.

"Jinkies," whispered Velma as several large gold coins fell into her hand.

Daphne soon returned, she'd found a leisure centre nearby and picked up some clothing from there. In no time Velma was dressed and hassling staff for her discharge papers. They managed to get back before the storm arrived but any joy on arriving was cut short by the police wanting to conduct an initial interview with Velma. That experience left her feeling rather wrung out. Intellectually she understood why they did it but emotionally having to relive events was not what she wanted to do right now. She walked into the empty bar where the gang were waiting; there was still one more gauntlet to run.

"Can you tell us what happened?" asked Fred as she sat down. Experience had shown them the sooner they got Velma talking about what had happened to her the better it was for all concerned. Defusing an emotionally unexploded Velma was one of the more dangerous tasks they faced on a regular basis.

"Better out than in I suppose so here goes," said Velma with some reluctance, she wasn't keen to do it again so soon but she also understood her tendency to bottle things up wasn't all that healthy. She went and sat on Shaggy's lap, she knew she'd end up there sooner rather than later.

"I thought I'd found real evidence of ghosts, until they pushed me to the ground and stood on my head." She pointed to the dressing on the side of her head "They put a noose around my neck then half dragged half choked me into this large cave. About the size of a tennis court from what little I could see. I was thrown in front of an oddly dressed character who stuck a dagger under my chin and called himself 'Master Ives.'"

"The smuggler?" said Daphne.

"The very same, I'm ashamed to say that I just lost it at that point, for a moment I thought I had gone back in time or something like that. It was only when they started laughing and I saw some modern items did I realise it was all a set-up."

"Then what?" asked Fred.

"I did a Daphne; I put the boot into a couple of them and tried to escape."

"No joy though," said Daphne.  
>"No too many of them, they slammed me to the ground and tied my hands behind by back. That's when, that's when things turned, nasty." Velma gripped Shaggy's hands like a vice.<p>

"Nasty?" said Daphne, the hairs on the back of her neck began to rise; she'd caught the edge in Velma's voice, this was not a good sign.

"They dragged me into the furthest part of the cave. There was an old and rusty cage there, shaped like a person. They opened the door. They gave me a choice, get in the cage immediately or, or, they would… if I didn't do what they said they would… use me," Velma paused too upset to continue and hid her face in Shaggy's shoulder.

"Like you don't have to say anymore," said Shaggy holding Velma as closely as he could. Velma was breathing hard; he guessed readying herself for one last push though he wasn't sure if he was up to hearing any more. She took a deep breath _here it comes_.

"What they didn't tell me was that they were going to put the cage in the water. They padlocked it shut then threw they key in the water. They taped air tanks to the cage, dangled the regulator through the bars then lowered the cage in the water. They did it slowly, just for the sake of it. I had to find the regulator without my hands."

The tears were freely flowing now; it was time for the mother of all gang-hugs. It was just a summary but Velma felt her insides unwind as she unburdened herself. She felt Shaggy's embrace, the physical presence of the others, she was alive; she had survived. She tried to fix the feeling in her mind for when the nightmares came.

_Good job I don't wear mascara_ through Velma as her tears finally subsided to just shuddering breaths. She stroked Shaggy's head, comforting him now and looked around and caught sight of a familiar face.

"Jethro, I didn't know you were here, please come in."

"Are you sure? I didn't want to disturb as you looked quite upset." Velma nodded.

"I'm over the worst bit now. Guys this is Jethro Menwynick a local historian I met in the library."

There was something about how he smiled and his kindly weather-worn features that made Daphne want to take him home and to Scooby cried out 'story time' and tales as tall as the Empire State building. Once the introductions had been made and Jethro had sat down they continued.

"So like how _did_ you get out?" asked Shaggy.

"They had made a mistake, they took my dive knife away but they didn't look under my jumper so didn't find the multi-tool I had on my arm. The ropes were easy to rub through using the bars of the cage; they got my jumper and wetsuit caught up in the ropes so I had more movement to start with. Once free I used the tool to remove the hinges from the bottom, the ones at the top weren't corroded enough, after that I just pushed and pushed till the door bent open; the metal was badly corroded so it was weak in places."

"Like it sounds like that was the cage you described to me," said Shaggy.

"All too much like it," said Velma "but I don't understand why was it there?"

"It was stolen with his body still in it. Despite their crimes the Ives' gang were local heroes in many ways," said Jethro.

"Heroes?" said Velma.

"Well they kept on good terms with the local population, including the local garrison, sure they caused trouble, but not for the locals. In many ways they greased the wheels of the local economy. He also ran a tight ship; Ives is even reported to have himself killed one of his own men who tried to rape a local girl, he even gave her some gold coins in compensation."

"There were coins in my hand," said Velma; then more quietly "they threatened to, if, if I didn't cooperate then they would…" Shaggy held her tightly again he could tell it would be some time before she would be able to use the r word in the same context as herself.

"May I?" asked Jethro, he took the bag and studied its contents "Hell's bells and buckets of blood!" he whispered under his breath, regaining his composure he continued "This is the same amount Ives' is said to have paid in compensation to the girl in the story. Ives was bit of a Robin Hood figure in many ways, very piercing gaze by all accounts."

"Velma?" said Daphne, Velma looked like she was off in a memory.

"The eyes, I thought I was hallucinating."

"Eyes?" said the Jethro.

"In the water, there was a pair of eyes staring at me, right into me, asking if I wanted his treasure. I said no, they could see right inside me, he knew I didn't want it. Strange, after that I didn't feel afraid anymore. My wetsuit got snagged and I ran out of air while cutting it free, that's when I saw the eyes. As soon as I'd answered the question it was as if I was being pulled along through the water, there were, shapes in the water, it felt like I was being passed from one to the other and out of the cave. I shot to the surface, activated my life-jacket and safety tube; that was the last I remember. I just couldn't use my right hand to do it; that was the hand which they found the coins in."

That night Velma and Daphne ate their artery clogging comfort food and despite Daphne's fears the fire brigade was not required to get either of them out of the bath. Shaggy had stayed with Velma through the night, holding the nightmares away ensuring she had as peaceful night as possible while Daphne had been on stand-by just in case she was required.

After the comfort food extravaganza of the night before both Daphne and Velma were a little worse for wear, fortunately they had nothing more demanding than interviews with the police and the local newspaper. Clive sent word he would be down that evening, he was currently reviewing the film and other evidence they had collected with the police up in Exeter. That afternoon a police liaison officer arrived, the gang were called together in one of the hotel's meeting rooms.

"I'm here to inform you that we don't expect anyone to be charged because…" the officer began to say

"What! They kidnapped Velma, threatened to rape her and nearly murdered her, how can no one be charged!" Daphne almost screamed in the officer's face. Velma looked close to tears again; Shaggy quickly hobbled over and wrapped his arms around her.

"They're all dead," said the officer in a matter-of-fact way.

"What?" said Fred while the others stared at the officer in disbelief.

"When the firearms team arrived there were bodies all over the place, all dead, recently dead, but dead nevertheless."

"How? You said no shots were fired," said Daphne.

"Well the assumption is that they died of carbon monoxide positioning but…" the officer paused "but I've seen the photographs forensics took; it looked like they were literally scared to death, One of them emptied a whole magazine from their pistol shooting at something in the back of the cave, wasn't random shots, they were all grouped."

"Were they attacked by other smugglers?" said Velma, the officer shook their head.

"That's the odd thing, nothing appears to have been taken or disturbed. The only unusual items we found were some broken boxes and mouldy cloth in the far corner of the cave and some open empty bags in the middle but nothing else."

Though she said nothing Velma went pale, she suspected she knew what had happened but couldn't believe her own conclusion.

"There is still an on-going investigation, they left plenty of evidence to follow up on the smuggling but it seems those responsible for the crimes against Ms Dinkley are no longer with us. Once forensics have finished the cave will be dynamited closed, it's clearly too dangerous."

Better news came that afternoon; Fred was finally able to walk about without falling over. He walked down the corridor to their rooms showing off his new found mobility while the gang looked on.

"All we need to do now is to teach him to use joined up hand-writhing and… ow! Daph do you have to prod so hard?" said Velma.

Though they still had a couple of days before they headed home that evening there was a small party for the gang at the hotel with a few of the people they had come to know during their stay. Jethro was there insisting that they tried various local ales and ciders, the hotel ensured that there was no shortage of food and Clive tried to work out how to claim the cost back on expenses. As the evening wound down Velma found herself alone with Shaggy in a quiet corner of the bar while Scooby was off listening to one of Jethro's stories. They had a few bottles of cider and some food from the buffet to keep them going. Velma squeezed as close as she could to Shaggy in response to his arm moving around her waist and rested her head against him, She eaten too much and drunk too much, but today she didn't care, her world was warm and fuzzy and for once she liked it that way.


	10. Epilogue

(A/N Not too sure about this but here goes anyway…)

After what seemed like an eternity finally it was their turn at the airline check-in desk, Fred, Shaggy and Velma handed over their 'fit to fly' letters. The check-in assistant looked at the letters then at them.

"We went hard so now we're going home," said Daphne.

Not long after they arrived back Velma and Shaggy moved in to their own place, it was larger than they needed as it also served as the gang's offices despite Daphne's attempts to stick the word 'nursery' on all the unused rooms. Velma's favourite part was the basement, the closest she'd get to being a mad scientist as Coolsville was short of houses with extinct volcano lairs out back. While the basement was being fitted out she had a small display box made for the coins; it looked a little bit like a treasure chest being made out of old oak. Inside was padded and lined with a velvet-like material; there were indentations for each of the coins. Whilst these few coins weren't enough for Velma to retire on, they were valuable so she decided to put them in the most secure place she knew. Her secret files.

Velma checked that no one was looking then went to the basement and closed the door behind her. She walked over to the filing cabinets where the gang kept many of their records. A number were secure cabinets, a bar at the front held in place by a heavy padlock. One was more secure than the others; it had a spun-dial lock and had been designed to hold secret materials. And it still did in a way, this was where Velma kept all the 'unexplained case files' her own private X-Files. All the information she had on her time in Cornwall was in a box-file which she duly filed away. She went to put the coin box in, it was the most secure place in the house plus if there ever was evidence that there was more to this world than meets the eye then this was it.

She opened the box one more time, the gold sparkled in the light; it was a true treasure, worth far more than the value of the gold. She'd just got a family heirloom so needed to have a talk with Shaggy about getting a family for this heirloom when the time was right.

"Thank you Master Ives" whispered Velma as she put closed the lid of the box and placed it in the cabinet, she closed the door and spun the dial. There was a mirror on the wall behind, she glanced in the mirror as she stepped away from the cabinet and froze in her tracks. In the mirror she caught sight of a man dressed in unusual clothes, fluted ruff around his neck, shirt, waist coat, britches wearing an old style captain's hat with a buckle on the front. There was a dagger in his belt and a sword by his side. Their eyes met, took off the hat and bowed to her.

"You're welcome m'lady."

She spun round "Master Ives? Wait!" but there was no one there.

A while later Fred came down looking for her; he found her standing open-mouthed, looking quite pale staring to the side of the mirror.

"Vel your parents are here, Vel, are you OK? You look like you've seen a ghost." He quickly went to her side. Velma finally snapped out of her state and shook her head.

"No, just an old friend."

Finally the house was quiet, on the top floor in one room Shaggy and Velma were tucked up in bed together while in another Scooby was under the covers reading using a torch. There was no better way to read his favourite comic, Red-Tail the Buccaneer Wolfhound. But soon even he had to call it a day and turned off the torch and settled down to sleep. He'd moved into his own room as quite often they would keep him awake and he needed his beauty sleep, if it wasn't from Velma's 'loud breathing' (I don't snore Scooby, I just breathe loudly at times) then it was from the noise of them mating. He was certain they'd have got bored with it after the first few days but there seemed to be no stopping them. He knew from his canine friends that human couples mated more often than dogs did but he hadn't appreciated quite how much till now. The new arrangement suited them all, Shaggy and Velma got to mate in private; he got to stay up late and would occasionally get breakfast in bed. All in all he was up on the deal. He settled himself down and soon he was asleep.

On the ground floor the only movement came from the robotic vacuum cleaner as it did its nightly rounds.

The basement too was still, for a while. At midnight a pale green mist began to emanate from Velma's secure filing cabinet. Slowly figure began to coalesce out of the mist; each wore the clothes of Elizabethan pirates, the clothes they had died in. Faint vices could be heard.

"We're here lads, the new world, just like I promised, I never breaks a promise to me crew," said Ives.

"I smell a port, 'tis a way up north but I smell the money," the voice same from a tall scrawny man with a bald head.

"The new world is ours to plunder and woe betides any dog that stands in our way," said Ives

"Even the Lady?" enquired a figure dressed more like Ives.

"Especially the Lady Mister Overman, we had a trade, we saved her and she brought us here so we're quits. I read her mind; she'd turn us in without a second thought. She's the only one who can stand in our way. But I'll not have you dogs slobbering over her, the pleasure of dealing with her I reserve for meself alone."

The mist moved through the house carrying the shapes with them finally ending up in the master bedroom and a sleeping Shaggy and Velma, Shaggy was wearing a green t-shirt while Velma was in a strappy top. Only Ives entered the room, the one named Overman barred the way to the others.

Ives moved silently to Velma's bedside and drew a dagger, the blade easily sliced through the straps of her top. He placed the dagger point at her throat; then moved it down her throat and between her breasts, pulling her top down with it. The point of the blade stopped when it was resting over her heart. Velma began to stir, her body began to tense and her breathing became laboured. With slow deliberation Ives pressed the dagger in, Velma's face contorted in pain as the point began to penetrate her flesh. Shaggy turned over in his sleep, his hand moved up her body, the dagger snapped as Shaggy's hand covered her heart and Velma settled back into a peaceful sleep. With an angry growl Ives vanished along with the other pirates.

To be continued…?


End file.
